Washing machine



March 22, 1932'.

w. L. WRIGHT WASHING MACHINE Filed July so, 1926 Patented Mar. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE wrnrnnn I.. waIerIr, on HnmrsrnAn, NEW YORK, AssIGNon 'ro sAvAen Arms coarOnArION, or U'rIoA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE WASHING Application filed July 30,

The invention relates to washing machines of the kind in which the clothes or other articles are washed and centrifugally dried in the same container or spinner, and its obJect is to simplify the mechanism necessary for these purposes so as to reduce the cost of manufacture and provide other advantages made apparent below.

The accompanying drawings illustrate more or less diagrammatically a washing machine embodying and thereby illustrating the principles of this invention.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertleal section with parts in elevation;

Figure 2 is a cross-section on lme II-II of Fig: 1;

igure 3 a top plan of the gear box wlth the top wall broken out to show the motlon;

Figure 4 an elevation of the gearing partly zo in section on the line IV of F1g. 3, and Fig. 5 a further sectional v1ew on the line V-V of Fig. 3.

The machine comprises a base structure 1 including legs or other supporting means and a tank superstructure mounted thereon and comprisinga main tank 2 of any sultable shape but preferably cylindrical, and an 1nner tank 3, which maybe conical and which is desirably concentric to the outer tank.

The clothes container or spinner4 loccupies the inner tank, being rotatably mounted therein on an upstanding tubular post 5, which is rigidly held by a boss 6 fixed 1n the bottom of the tank. This boss is formed as part of the gear box 7, which is rigidly bolted to the base structure below the tank `ioottom'and projects through the bottom with suitable provision against leakage such as a gasket 8 or otherwise; the upper end of the tubular post 5 is above the normal water level so that water does not enter it. The spinner is provided with a central hub tube 9 extending, water-tight, from its bottom to a point also above the normal water level therein 'and this tube is internally provided with a bearing bushing 10 .arranged tov rotate on a shoulder formed on the base post 5, thus adapting the spinner to rotate within thefinner tank, but any other type of l bearing upon the post could be made to sui-ice.

'spinner may be furnished with any known MACHINE 192s. serial No. 125,880.

The particular shape or designof the spinner is not material andit may conform to the shapeof the inner tank, in which it rotates, but its upper edge is desirably turned inwardly Or iianged so that the water therein will not splash out of the machine. The walls of the spinner are perforated, so that the water placed in tank 3 may enter it freely during the washing process and leave it freely 'during vthe drying process. The clothes are washed in this spinner, and after washing are also dried therein by rotating or spinning it at asuflicient velocity, say 550 or 600 R. P. M.- For the washing process the or appropriate means to force the water repeatedly through the fabric of the clothes,

which constitutes washing. One such means,

preferred because of its simplicity, consists of one or more radial paddles 11 ailixed to the side wall of the spinner, combined with some appropriate gearing for oscillating the spinner back and forth. This swashes the clothes hack and forth through the water and washes them.

Such Vscillating washing motion and also the continuous higher speed rotation, are imparted to the spinner through the base post 5 which is hollow for this purpose. The upper end of the hub tube of the spinner carries a` manually adjusted clutch device 12, keyed or splined thereto and adapted to hold two positions thereon, in each of which it is held by a spring detent 13 or equivalent holding means. In its lower position (Fig. 1) i't connects `the spinner to the upper, multi-keyed end Ofa tubular shaft or sleeve 14, by which the spinner is driven continuously at the high speed requisite for centrifugal drying.; in its upper position the clutch connects the spinner to the similarly multi-keyedend of an inner shaft 15, ournalled within the sleeve 14, and by means of 'this shaft the spinner is oscillated. The drive sleeve 14 andits interior shaft 15 receive their respective motions from a horizontal drive shaft 16 journalled in the gear box 7. The lower end of the sleeve 14 is driven direct from the drive shaft by skew gear 17 and the lower end of the oscillating i shaft 15 is driven by a pinion and segment l10o rack 18, which latter is oscillated by a rod connection to a worm wheel 19 driven at slower speed by a worin on the drive shaft. The gear box is also an oil container for the gearing referred to; the drive shaft extends outside of it, where it is provided with a sheave driven by belt or otherwise from an electric motor as indicated or other source of power.

After the clothes in the spinner have been sufficiently washed by the means described or any other appropriate means, the wash water is removed to and stored in the upper part of the annular space between the two tank walls and such removal is accomplished by the effect of the high speed rotation of the spinner itself, or of some part applied to or moving with it and without the need of separate pump mechanism requiring to be stopped and started as heretofore customary in Washingpmachines. For this purpose the spinner in the present case, is provided with water-lifting means of such a type that it is not operative, or at least not eectively operative, by the oscillatory wash motion, but becomes operative when the speed is increased to `r near that required for centrifugal drying. Asimple, but by no means the only lmechanism for producing this result consists fof one or more scoops 21 xed to or below the bottom lof the spinner and respectively connected with riser conduits 22, which latter .terminate under a deflector rim 23 formed on p speed, the water inthe inner tank is scooped up 'and delivered throu h the risers outwardly `or against the de ector 23 and; thence falls into the annular space referred to, while the clothes in the spinner are being dried by the centrifugal effect and as the water is discharged. The riser conduits 22 may be placed within the paddles when the latter are employed or may be otherwise arran ed as preferred. The scoops remove enoug water so that when the drying is finished the small uantit remaining will be well below the spinner ottom so as not to wet the centrifugally dried clothes.

The water storage space, between the tanks, is large enough to accommodate all of the wash water from the inner tank without utilizing the whole of the annular space between the two tank walls and accordingly the bottom wall 24 of such storage space may be located at a level the same as or slightl higher than the normal level of the was water in the inner tank. When so placed the stored water may be returned by gravity to the inner washing tank merely by openin a valve or stopper such as 25, when it is esired to wash a second batch of clothes. A drain cock 26 may also be provided when it is desired to dispose of the wash water, and a similar drain or stopper may be provided for the inner tank, as indicated at 27, this being operated by a slide rod .as indicated extending the run of the inner tank. The space 2O below the bottom 24 of the storage tank is provided with a door thus constituting a closed compartment for the storage of soap, bluing, etc.

1. A combined washing and drying machine comprising a wash water tank, a clothes spinner therein, a motor, connections whereby the motor imparts motion to the spinner for washing the clothes therein, a discharge device for removing the water from said tank, connections whereby the motor imparts a second and different motion to the spinner for drying the clothes therein and means Whereby the operation of the motor to impart said second motion and effect the drying of the clothes renders active said discharge device.

2. A combined washing and drying machine as claimed in claim l including a storage tank elevated above the wash water tank, connections whereby the discharge device discharges into the storage tank and a gravity return from the latter to the wash water tank.

3. A combined washing and dr ing machine comprising a wash water tan a spinvner therein adapted for both washing and drying the clothes, an elevated storage tank, a water elevating device, connections whereby'the latter is operated by the spinner, during drying to transfer the water from the wash water tank to the storage tank and a valve controlled gravity return passage from the storage tank to the wash water tank.

4. A double tank structure including a storage tank and a wash tank, a spinner located within the wash tank, drive mechanism operable to rotate the spinner at high speed to dry the conten thereof by centrifugal action, a water conveying device connected with said drive mechanism for operation coincidently with said high speed rotation of the spinner, said device arranged to receive water from said wash tank and provided with a discharge outlet to said storage tank, and

manually controlled means o erable to effect the return of the wash water om the storage tank to the wash tank.

5. The combination of a wash tank, a spinner therein having an outlet adapted to discharge water into said tank under centrifugal action, means for rotating the spinner at high speed to dry the contents thereof, an outer tank substantially enclosing thewash tank and spinner and of a size suicient to accommodate all the wash water, and a water convecying device connected for operation coinci ent y with said high speed rotation of the s inner having an intake below the bottom t ereof within the wash tank, said device havii a discharge outlet to the outer tank.

6. washing and drying machine comprising a wash tank, a spinner therein having an outlet adapted to discharge water into sald tank" under centrifugal action, mechanism o rableto effect the washing of clothes carrie f in said spinner, a water conveying device having an mtakewithin the wash tank adjacent the bottom thereof and a dischar e outlet to the exterior of the tank, drive mec anism for the spinner adapted to rotate the same at high speed to eject the liquid content l/th'ereo sald device connected with and vdriven by said drive mechanism and a control member operable in one direction to render effective said rst mentioned mechanism speed rotation to simultaneously transfer the wash water from the first mentioned tank to the storage tank and dry the clothes.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

WILFRED L. WRIGHT. 

